Dr. Harvey Weston Parker

Harvey was born in Panama City, Panama on December 23rd, 1936. He had the privilege of being raised by four mothers, which included his mother, his grandmother and his two aunts - Norma Harrington and Muriel Neill, while living in the Panama Canal Zone, Colorado, Alabama, and Buenos Aires, Argentina. He attended the Alabama Polytechnic Institute (now called Auburn University) where he graduated with a Bachelor of Civil Engineering (BSCE) in 1957. He received his M.S. in Civil Engineering from Harvard in 1967 and then his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering with a Minor in Geology from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 1976.

He made significant civil engineering contributions and publications for over 55 years. From his time as Chief Engineer of a US Navy Destroyer, to his pioneering work on steel fiber shotcrete in 1972, and to his innovative approaches to civil engineering projects including the Mount Baker Ridge Tunnel in Seattle, Washington (the largest soil tunnel in the world) and metro systems across the United States including Los Angeles, Washington D.C., New York, Boston and Chicago.

He also gave back to the industry through leadership and service. He was Chairman of several organizations including the US National Committee on Tunneling Technology, The Underground Technology Research Council and the Underground Shotcrete Subcommittee for the American Concrete Institute Committee. He served as president of the International Tunneling Association & Underground Space Association (ITA) from 2004-2007. In 2019, he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the ITA.

One of Harvey's greatest loves was traveling with his wife Karen. They traveled throughout the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia and made lifelong friends everywhere they stayed. He also enjoyed spending quality time with his extended family and grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his father Harvey Parker II and his mother Barbara O"Shaughnessy. He is survived by his loving wife of 57 years, Karen of Bellevue, WA, son Neil (Diane) Parker of Tucson, AZ, and daughter Erika (Chris) Price of Edmonds, WA. He is also survived by his four grandchildren, Ryan, Stephen, Sydney and Andrew.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in his name to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (pancan.org), Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (www.seattlecca.org), the University of Illinois, Grainger College of Engineering (www.grainger.illinois.edu/giving) or to EvergreenHealth Hospice Services (www.evergreenhealthfoundation.org, please specify “to support the Hospice program".

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Harvey's memorial service will be held at a future date. The family will be in touch with friends and family as information is available.